Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-07-29
TREAT ALL ALIKE.
No Cheaper Rates for the Commercial
Traveler-The Inter State Com
mission so Decides.
Railroad Companies Prohibited From
Selling Thousand Mile Tickets TO
DrummerS at Less Rates Than
TO Other Travellers.

10 'iAtl IldN eIeTS.
WASHINGTON, July 26.-The inter state
commerce commission deliv red its opin.
ION this afternoon in four of the cases re-
Gently brought before it. The cases en-
titled Louis Harrison against the Grand
Trunk Railroad company and Michiga an
Central Railroad company against the
Grand Trunk Railroad company were by
consent of the parties heard together.
The charge is Unjust discrimination.
larrlson omplains that the road would
not sell him a thousand mile ticket at the
price paid by commercial travellers and
the Michigan Central company com plains
that the Grand Trunk company was sell
ling to commercial travellers at lower
rate than TO the public generally. The
defendant admits the facts as charged,
but AYERS that nothing alleged is in CON
hict with the law. The commission rules
common carriers may continue the is
suance of mileage passenger tickets, the
charges for which must be reasonable
end just and free from unjust diScrimina-
tlon or unreasonable preference. Per
sons belonging to the class known as com
merclal travellers are not privileged to
ride over railroads at lower rates than
are paid by other persons. Whatever
reasonable rates commercial travellers are
made to pay other travellers may be mads
to pay. To charge one more than the
other Is unjust discrimination, and this
Is true whether tickets issued are mileage
tickets or in some other form. The re-
fusal of the defendant, he Chicago i
Grand Trunk Railway company, to sell
the com plainant, harrison, thousand
mile ticket for $50, the price at which
said company was selling such tickets to
commercial travellers, and the neglect to
publish rates at which defendant was
Offering to sell mileage tickets were alike
in conflict with the "act to regulate com
merce." Opinion by Mr.. Commissioner
Morrison, all concurring.
OPPOSED TO THE LAW.
The case of the St. Louis wholesale gro
GERS against the Missouri Pacific en-
bodies a complaint that while commuta-
ton tickets are sold at rates which would
amount to not more than $l5 for a thous-
and miles, the thousand mile tickets upon
which commercial travellers travel ere not
sold for less than $50. The commission
Is also asked to order and direct that
mercial travellers, in short that thousand
mile tickets be sold to them at lower rates
than TO others. The commission does
not regard the fact that Communication
tickets are put on sale at a given rate to
be one that entities the purchaser of a
mileage ticket to complain of unjust dis
elimination if charged at higher rate.
The circumstances and conditions, the
the The
mission finds nothing i'll the testimony
submitted going to show that the charge
of $25 for thousand mile ticket is un-
reasonable.
In respect to the order. it is requested
to make in favor of commercial travellers,
the opinion says: The commission
would hardly be willing TO make such an
order in any case however urgent the cir
cuC. stances might appear to be. But in
respect to this matter, We are agreed that
the entire policy and spirit of the law are
against it, and that when mileage tickets,
distinguished from trip tickets, are is
sued, they should bo sold all impartially
and on the same terms" Opinion by
Commissioners Walker all concurring.
LOCAL AND THROUGH RATES.
The case of Ralph W. Thatcher, of
Schenectady, against the Fitchburg rail
road company and Others embodies a
complaint that, whereas the defendants
formerly accepted grain for transp0rta-
tiOn from complainant's elevator to BOs
ton at the proportion of the through
rates from Chicago allowed to the lines
east of Schenectady, which was practical
ly 6 cents per hundred, they now demand
local rates, which are considerably higher,
and a restoration Is asked.
The opinion says:
THE rates with which complainant finds
fault, it is not claimed, are in conflict
with the statute, unless the conflict is
found in the fact that they exceed what
the roads accept on through business, as
their proportion of the rates fixed at dis
tant points. If that is in any sense con
trary to the law, the illegality would not
be corrected by compelling the roads to
accept upon shipments from Schenec-
tady rates less than are charged from the
stations further east. We cannot correct
one alleged violation of law by compel
ing another"
The commission says:
1T is proper to state that the question
whether proportion of through rates
less than the local rates over the same
line can lawfully be accepted is in
volved in a pending case, and is now
awaiting further evidence and argu-
ment."
The complaint is dismissed. Opinion
by Mr.. Commiss ioner Schoonmaker, all
coacurring. The commission has render
ed decision in the Burton stock car
case to the effect that there is no appar
ent ground upon which the railroads can
oe ordered to pay mileage to the Burton
company. Ilfrespect to the alleged un-
reasonableness of the charge to shippers
of stock by the Burton cars, in excess of
that to shippers by ordinary cars, the
commission says the case is not satisfac-
toriIy presented. The commission is
strongly i'm mpressed with the belief that
the charge may be too high, but 1t does
not now fecold d finding. 1t commends
its suggestions upon this point to the
| Western Classification committee of the
railroads and retains the question for
/ further consideration.